Ouran Academy
by Kindred Wolf
Summary: The story of a transfer student, and how she infiltrated the Host Club, and their hearts. Terrible title and summary, but short first chapter. Give it a try and you might be surprised! Updating regularly.
1. At Her Bedside

**Right, so this is my first fanfic in a while, so bear with me whilst I try and get back into the flow of keeping characters as true as possible!**

**I know this first chapter is really short, but it's just a taster, and a way of telling myself I will carry on with it! There's also no title or anything just yet, but like I said, bear with me! I'm useless at titles, so it might be without for a while. **

**Any helpful criticism is welcomed and appreciated, as I'm constantly striving to become a better writer! **

**Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!**

**~KW.**

**---**

"How long is she going to be unconscious for!"

Tamaki paced backwards and forwards alongside the hospital bed, muttering as he glanced from the floor to her face. She was deathly pale, as though she probably looked worse than she actually was. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

The rest of the Host Club was in the room with them. Kyoya had taken care of the medical side of things, making sure that she had been sent to the best hospital, with her own private ward, so she wouldn't be sharing with the rest of the commoners, despite how much she would have argued against this.

Kyoya was sat in a leather armchair beside the door to the ward. As always, he was scrawling away in that black notebook of his, his hand darting across the page, but much more frantically than usual.

Honey and Mori were sat at her bedside. Honey's eyes were still wet, regardless of the number of times he had wiped them with the back of his hand. Even Mori, as hard as he was trying, could not keep up his stoic disposition, and his eyes continually moved, scanning from her to Honey to the other members of the Host Club, looking for some kind of answer.

Hikaru and Kaoru were leaning against the wall, looking down at their feet. They had never been put in this position before: they'd never gotten this close to somebody and experienced this sort of pain. Neither of them or their parents had ever been very ill, so it was all very alien to them.

And Haruhi was stood in the doorway, having arrived last. This hospital was very different to the ones she had been in. A commoner's hospital, if that was how she was to distinguish between them, had those awfully long corridors with nobody in them, but then turning a corner turfed you into a ward where various machines beeped with altering intensity, where the smell of bleach overwhelmed you, and where nurses swept past you, but seemed to do nothing but paperwork.

This hospital was different. The corridors seemed more akin to that of a school than a hospital, and the private wards were like hotel rooms with more windows. It was open and airy, but it didn't seem right to Haruhi. It didn't feel like she was in a hospital, which worried her even more. But at that moment, a doctor tapped her on the shoulder. Haruhi shuffled over so he could enter the room.

The silence of the ward became even more apparent. Tamaki stopped pacing, Kyoya stopped scratching at the notepad in his lap, and Honey stopped sniffling. All eyes turned to the doctor. The man with all the answers.

"Are you Miss. Kono's family?"

"Yes, is she going to be okay?"

The doctor narrowed his eyes momentarily, before Kyoya stood up. Recognising him as one of the Otori heirs, and thus technically the source of his income, he nodded slightly, before continuing.

"Miss. Kono is currently in status epilepticus. This is caused after either a prolonged seizure, or a series of seizures in a very short period of time, which, from what Mr. Otori has reported, seems to be the case for Miss. Kono."

The silence in the room continued as the group processed the information. The doctor resumed.

"At the moment, we have done what we can for her. But at this early stage, it is difficult to tell how she will react to the medication, and whether she is strong enough to fight."

Tamaki broke the silence from the Host Club.

"She is strong enough."

The doctor looked at him, and saw the determination in his eyes. Kyoya then asked the question that was on everybody's mind, but was caught in their throats.

"What will happen if she doesn't respond to the medication?"

The doctor hesitated. They were all so young, and to have something like this dropped on them seemed like an awful thing to do. Though, on looking at them again, he saw the pain of not knowing. That dreadful limbo where the mind starts to play tricks, imagining things, both best and worst case scenarios.

"Status epilepticus is a dangerous condition. The body struggles to circulate oxygen efficiently, meaning the brain does not get enough oxygen." The doctor paused again, before finally adding, "This can lead to brain damage."

The air felt heavy around them. They turned to look at her, lying innocently in the bed, wired up to machines and drips. How had this happened?

**---**

**So yeah! I tried to make it so that you think it was Haruhi in the bed, but then reveal it's a new character. I'm going to go into the back story from here, who she is and how she got so involved with the Host Club.**

**Reviews please? Thanks!**

~KW.


	2. First Impressions

**Hello again! Yes, I have nothing to do for a few weeks before I go back to uni, so this may be updated more often than I thought. Hope you enjoy!**

**---**

_A few months previous…_

The Host Club was just about open for business. The 'King' had decided that the theme for the day was going to be a pyjama party, much to the chagrin of the other members, particularly Haruhi.

"Senpai, I think this is one of your worst ideas yet," Haruhi commented, pulling at her blue and white striped pyjamas, with matching nightcap. "I'm definitely not wearing this!" She added, pulling the nightcap off and wringing it in her hands.

"On the contrary," interrupted Kyoya, who still managed to look sophisticated in his navy blue pinstripe pyjamas, his black notepad still in his hands. "This attire will give our guests an insight into our private lives, which, I believe, is what they want."

"But I don't wear pyjamas like this!" Haruhi groaned.

"Yeah, but we can't have you wearing a silk nightdress!" Kaoru interjected, putting his right arm around Haruhi's neck. He was sporting a set of green pyjama bottoms with a light grey shirt.

"Have you forgotten the fact that you're supposedly a guy?" Hikaru added, sliding his left arm over her shoulder, wearing a matching light grey shirt as his twin, but with blue bottoms.

"No," Haruhi frowned. "And I don't wear a silk nightdress to bed!"

The twins looked at her with wide eyes.

"What, so satin?" They asked simultaneously.

"No, just regular cotton." She growled.

Despite her constant reminders to the rest of the Club that 'commoners' did not lead bad lives, it clearly hadn't sunk in that she was happy with her life, and didn't necessarily feel she was missing out on anything. Obviously, the other Hosts felt otherwise.

At that moment, Tamaki came prancing over, in his regally white nightwear.

"Haruhi, where is your nightcap? Your outfit, cute as it is, is not complete without the nightcap!" He proclaimed.

Haruhi scowled. So many times she cursed herself for being so clumsy and breaking that damn expensive vase in the first place. She had lost count of the number of times she wondered why there was such an antique in a place like Music Room #3.

"I'm not wearing that, Senpai. These pyjamas are as far as I'm going with this one." Haruhi refused.

Tamaki looked seriously downhearted. The look on his face, to somebody who didn't know him very well, would have thought that a beloved puppy had died. But to his friends, they just knew that it was simply disappointment, though greatly exaggerated.

"But Haru-chan, Tama-chan just wants you to look your cutest, like me!" Honey said, observing from his table as he sat in his pink flowery pyjamas, enjoying a piece of his favourite strawberry cake.

"Yeah," said Mori. His black straight-legged pyjamas, like Kyoya's, still allowed him to keep his indomitable outlook.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. Cute was definitely not a look she was used to pulling off.

"Those puppy dog eyes aren't going to do anything, Tamaki-senpai. And stop cultivating mushrooms, the guests are going to start arriving any…" Haruhi started to shout, but was broken off by the sound of the door opening.

The eyes of each Host turned to the doorway, ready to greet the flow of customers as they entered. Instead, they were faced with just a single person, who blushed furiously before apologising for interrupting their session.

"It's no problem at all, my princess. Welcome to our Host Club!" Tamaki greeted, appearing at the side of the girl who had walked into the room, and kissing her hand. "You have arrived just in time to join us for our pyjama party! Who would you care to sit with?"

"Uhh… I'm so sorry; I thought this was an empty Music Room. I'll leave you to your Club." The girl stammered, before she turned swiftly on her heel and left.

The Hosts blinked. They didn't think it was possible that anyone at Ouran Academy didn't know that Music Room #3 was the home to the Host Club. As always, Kyoya spoke up to enlighten them all.

"Haruhi, you were just one of the recipients of the scholarships offered to attend our prestigious school. I'm assuming that was another. Though I've not seen her around before; not sure why…" His pen was once again running across the pages in his notebook.

"Well maybe we should go introduce ourselves properly…" Haruhi suggested. She remembered what it was like being the new girl. She definitely wanted her to have a better start than she did herself. Being indebted ¥8 million was not her idea of a perfect way to begin at a new school.

But before she could do anything about it, real squealing girls came flooding in through the doors. Haruhi sighed, before smiling to welcome their guests. She stuffed her nightcap down the back of the sofa, determined that it would not sit on her head again.

---

After the Club wrapped up, the pyjama party, though it begrudged Haruhi to admit it, had been a huge success, and Tamaki was annoyingly chipper. Prancing around, he was blabbering on about his ingenious idea, and how he was already thinking up themes for the next few weeks.

"Alright, boss, it was a good one this time, but don't get carried away!" Hikaru pointed out.

"Yeah, we don't want to lose our pulls behind some lame themes." Kaoru added.

"Mommyyy!" Tamaki whined, pulling at Kyoya's nightshirt.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose and stepped out of and away from Tamaki's clutches. Whilst the twins argued with the blonde, who simply moped at Kyoya's feet, Haruhi carried on cleaning up. There were pillows and duvets everywhere for the clients, except for where the twins had been sitting, where feathers covered the floor.

"You guys need to get over here and clean up!" Haruhi said, pointing at their mess.

The twins stopped bickering with Tamaki and blinked at Haruhi.

"…Clean?"

"…Up?"

Haruhi groaned. That was another thing she hated about these rich people. They never did anything for themselves, they just expected to have everything done for them. Well, maybe she'd take a leaf out of their book. She dropped all the pillows she'd already gathered, picked up her bag and said goodbye to the guys, managing to leave before they could object.

Sighing, Haruhi walked down the corridor, glad that the Club had ended for the day. The pyjama party, whilst a triumph with the guests, had been one of Haruhi's least favourite themes. As she got further away from Music Room #3, the sounds of squabbling from inside dissipated, and in it's place, the soft sound of violin strings swelled.

Listening at the doors, Haruhi located the source of the sound. Music Room #1. Cracking open the door, she peeked in. The girl from earlier, who had stumbled into the Host Club.

Her hair fell just past her shoulders in soft waves, cloaking the thin scarf around her neck. She was wearing a dark, long sleeved hoodie and a pair of fairly washed out jeans. She had her back to the door, violin on her shoulder, playing what seemed to be a memorised piece, as there was no sheet music in front of her.

Haruhi pushed the door open a little too far and it creaked open, startling the new girl, causing her to squeak the violin. Holding up her hands and entering the room, Haruhi apologised.

"I'm so sorry! I guess we've traded places! I didn't mean to interrupt, but you were just playing so beautifully!"

The girl shifted uncomfortably, the violin now held in both hands in front of her, as though it was a barrier between her and the intruder. Haruhi noticed her unease, so decided to introduce herself.

"I'm Haruhi Fujioka. I've been told you're here on a scholarship too?"

The girl simply nodded, her face flushing the same furious crimson as before. "I'm Choyo Kono,"

"Hi Choyo-san! Congratulations on getting into Ouran! How come you didn't start at the beginning of the semester with the rest of us?" Haruhi was determined to strike up a real conversation with her. It was better that she was not in front of all their classmates, when she knew she would be on show like at a zoo.

"Just had some stuff going on at home," The girl mumbled, avoiding Haruhi's eyes. "Oh, and please, call me Cho or CK. Choyo-san is so formal. So, what am I to expect? I start officially tomorrow; today was just to get to know the grounds a little."

Haruhi smiled, glad that she'd come out of her shell a little. She knew it could be difficult to make friends, so she was more than happy to make it a little easier for Cho.

"Well there are quite a few clubs available here, but I suggest just picking one and devoting your time to it. What are you interested in?" Haruhi asked.

At that moment, she heard voices in the corridor. The other Hosts had left the Club room. Haruhi turned and shut the door. If the guys came in, she knew that Cho would retreat, back to the mute blushing girl as before.

"Well, I'm here on a music scholarship, so that's definitely my first choice. Is there something like that here?" Cho asked.

But Haruhi was distracted. She was listening out for the sounds of the guys going past. She heard them making their way towards Music Room #1, and then they stopped to argue some more. How could they still be arguing? Haruhi wasn't even sure what they were arguing about. Surely it couldn't still be Tamaki's ideas for themes?

"…Haruhi?" Cho prompted.

Haruhi swallowed. The group had fallen silent outside. They had heard Cho say her name. Before she could even reach the door to try and block it, the twins had barged their way in, followed by a bouncy Honey and a sensible Mori, before Kyoya led the way for Tamaki to enter, flicking his hair.

**---**

**So yeah! Thought I'd leave it there for now! What will Cho make of the Host Club? And what will they make of Cho? Reviews and thoughts please!**

**~KW**


	3. Welcome To Ouran

**Hey, back again! Yeah, I've not really got an idea of where chapters are going to end when I start them, so if they seem to end a bit abruptly, apologies. Let me know if they are, and I'll try and sort it a bit better!**

**Enjoy!**

**---**

The twins, matching grins plastered over their faces, goose-stepped over to Cho, taking a place either side of her. Haruhi saw Cho tense immediately, and the rush of blood to her cheeks returned.

"So, you're a commoner like Haruhi!" Kaoru stated, looking Cho up and down, almost as though looking for some sort of sign.

"If we're not careful, the place will be taken over by commoners soon!" Hikaru added, copying Kaoru by looking Cho up and down.

"Behave!" Tamaki said, not quite shouting, but strangely, managing to express some authority in his voice.

He walked over to Cho, pulled the twins forward by their collars, and then banged their heads together as though they were two halves of a coconut shell. The twins complained, but Tamaki paid them no attention as he looked directly into Cho's eyes, which were a perfect colour match of his own bright blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, my darling. Please ignore these two fools, they have no manners. On behalf of the Host Club, I welcome you to Ouran Academy." Tamaki smiled, taking Cho's chin in his hand, tilting her face up to his own.

For the first time, everyone was shocked by the response it triggered. Cho slapped Tamaki's hand away and jumped back. Tamaki was stunned. What had just happened? Had he, the Host Club king, just been… rejected?

The other hosts watched as he retreated to the corner, crouched down and began what they assumed would be a long and painful period during which Tamaki would do nothing but wallow in self-pity. Then all eyes turned back to Cho. Her face could have been emitting heat it was so red. She stammered out an apology, hurriedly put the violin back in the open case at the side, snapped it shut and raced from the room.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Haruhi couldn't help but realise how many of these silences she'd experienced lately.

Kyoya readjusted his glasses, before he scribbled something down in his book, and then snapped it shut. Tamaki flinched and whimpered, the sound too similar to that of the slap.

"Senpai?" Haruhi asked tentatively.

She wasn't really sure what response she was expecting from him. Had he really never been rejected before? Sure, she had to agree with him that he was 'dripping with good looks,' even if he wasn't exactly modest, and his sweet nature usually won over everybody, so what was the difference with Cho?

"Haruhi, did you find anything out about this girl?" Kyoya asked, continuing to ignore Tamaki's sudden bout of depression.

Haruhi didn't know what to say. For once, Kyoya was in the dark. It was almost ridiculous how much of an impact this girl had already had on the Host Club, and she hadn't even technically started there yet. Kyoya had lost his power without having any knowledge, and Tamaki had lost his confidence and in his mind, place in the Host Club as king.

"Just that her name is Choyo Kono, and she's here on a music scholarship." Haruhi shrugged.

They hadn't exactly given her a chance to become best friends, walking in before she had chance to get to talk to her properly, yet Kyoya still seemed as though he was disappointed that she hadn't extracted more information. That was just Kyoya. His brow creased.

"What's wrong Kyo-chan?" Honey asked. He didn't like the situation they were in. It wasn't right.

"Kono is too common a family name for me to know if Choyo is involved in the business or financial world. Though I'm guessing not if she's here on a scholarship…" He added, flipping his notebook back open and once again, writing something down.

Haruhi pulled a face. One of these days she was going to find out what he managed to write about in that bloody book. She wondered what he'd do if he 'accidentally' misplaced it somewhere…

"Senpai, don't take it personally. From talking to her, I don't think she's like the rest of the girls here. She didn't seem like the easily swayed, swooning, squealing type." Haruhi said. "I've got to go; I've got a ton of laundry to do,"

Tamaki looked up in time to see Haruhi disappear out of the door.

---

The next morning, Hikaru and Kaoru were sat on the windowsill in their class waiting for the first lesson of the day to begin. They were gazing out of the window, wondering where Haruhi was. It was unusual for her to be late.

"Where do you think she is?" Hikaru said under his breath, impatient as ever.

Kaoru just looked at his brother. He couldn't understand why he knew Hikaru so much better than he did himself. Hikaru didn't understand his own feelings for Haruhi, which Kaoru was secretly grateful for. Once it hit him, he wasn't sure how everything was going to change, but he knew that it would. Kaoru knew he was being selfish, wanting to keep Hikaru for himself. But that's how it had always been. Just the two of them. He'd found it difficult to adjust when Haruhi had joined the Host Club; he found it extremely difficult to see his brother wrestling with himself mentally and emotionally.

Haruhi walked in the door, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Kaoru glanced at his twin to see him brighten almost immediately. Thank God he was too dense to comprehend his feelings for her.

"You're late," Hikaru said, settling into his seat on Haruhi's left.

"Yeah, I guess. I fell back to sleep after my dad woke me up this morning," Haruhi yawned.

Kaoru sat on Haruhi's other side. He wished Hikaru hadn't made him switch seats with Haruhi. He'd much rather sit beside his brother.

Their teacher stood up and cleared his throat, to gain the class' attention.

"Class, could you please welcome honour student Choyo Kono." He said, clearly feigning interest.

Cho walked in, wearing a similar outfit to the one yesterday, drawing attention immediately as she wasn't wearing the light blue uniform of Ouran Academy. The teacher, ignoring the fact that she was obviously incredibly nervous, asked her to tell the class a little about herself.

Shuffling from foot to foot, Cho stepped forward, wringing her hands and forcing a smile onto her face.

"I've been accepted into Ouran Academy on a music scholarship – I play the violin." Cho hesitated. She hadn't expected to have to introduce herself, so she hadn't thought about what she could tell them. "Umm…"

Seeing she was struggling, Haruhi stood up and smiled.

"Welcome to Class 1A, Cho."

Recognising Haruhi's face, Cho's smile instantaneously became more authentic. But upon seeing two sets of perfect teeth bared either side of her, the smile disappeared and her face dropped. It was a fair reaction; the Hitachiins had been far from welcoming during their brief meeting yesterday.

Cho made her way to the only empty seat, next to Kaoru. She made sure not to make eye contact with him, watching her feet as she walked. Cho had just pulled her chair out to sit down, when a student entered the class and spoke quietly to the teacher.

"Miss Kono, before you sit down, the chairman has requested to speak with you." He muttered, his annoyance starting to show due to the interruptions from his lesson.

Cho blinked, pushed her chair back in and began to walk out of the room.

"Wonder if he'll spring for her uniform as well as her education?" Hikaru said coldly.

Kaoru looked over at his brother, who, eyes closed, was leaning casually on one arm, saw Haruhi's aggravated expression, and then turned his attention back to Cho. There was a slight waver as she walked away, but she didn't turn around or react to what Hikaru had said. He was starting to feel a bit guilty about the comment he'd made yesterday. He had nothing against commoners, but for some reason, there was always that inclination to make that distinction… to conform to the apartheid there should be, coming to a prestigious school such as Ouran.

Hikaru opened one eye and stole a glance over at Kaoru. That was not the expression he was hoping to see on his brother's face. Then, almost at once, regrettably looked towards Haruhi. Her face was creased, scowling at him. Another expression he didn't want to see, particularly aimed at himself.

He glanced away again quickly, working hard to keep the embarrassment at bay. He relaxed again as, from the corner of his eye, he saw Haruhi face back to the front of the class, as the teacher finally began his lesson.

But Kaoru was a different matter. He was looking back at him in the same manner, head facing directly forward, but glancing sideways. Hikaru tried to place the expression Kaoru had. Was it confusion, or disappointment? It was one he wasn't used to seeing from his twin, so it was hard to distinguish.

For once, Hikaru decided to attempt to pay attention in class, if only to block out the glares and indeterminable expressions being shot his way.

**---**

**What do you think? Cho is now already having an affect on the relationships in the Club, and she has only walked into the classroom! **

**So yeah, reviews would be greatly appreciated! Please, even if it's only really brief! My ego needs a boost now and then so I know what I'm doing right, what you want improving, etc.!**

**Thanks!**

**~KW**


	4. Apology

**Hey again! I thought it'd be a while before this chapter was up, but I got a little bored and it was ready! Not sure I'll be able to say the same for the next chapter though – hoping it'll be up by next Sunday evening!**

**Massive thanks to mwaetht, Nitrea, reno321 and Kuramasredredrose! Thanks for the reviews/story alerts/messages! You have no idea how much it means to hear from my readers!**

**Enough babble, here's the next chapter!**

**---**

Cho didn't return to class for the remainder of the day. Haruhi bit her lip. What if, for some bizarre reason, the chairman had withdrawn Cho's scholarship? Or he had told her she'd have to pay for her own uniform? She might not even be able to afford that. Haruhi shook her head, rolling her eyes for being so stupid. She'd been spending far too much time with Tamaki – his overreactions had rubbed off on her. But she still couldn't understand why she would not attend any lessons on her first day at a new school.

Hikaru was not in the best of moods. Haruhi had been very short with him all day, after he'd made yet another commoner remark about Cho. She had brought it up very briefly, not up for discussion, but basically reminding him that, whatever his issue was with Cho, his comments about commoners applied to her as well.

"If you remember, I didn't pay for my own uniform! ¥300,000 is a lot of money, Hikaru, so why don't you just back off!"

Hikaru cringed. He didn't like being reprimanded, least of all by Haruhi. Yet, for once, Kaoru seemed to be in a happier mood, so at least that took his mind off things.

Haruhi had been avoiding the twins as much as possible for the rest of the day. Maybe this would teach them to think before they opened their big mouths. Kaoru wasn't as bad as Hikaru, sometimes it was just habit, but other times she knew he was just following his brother's lead.

The Host Club was open for business, and Haruhi breathed relief when she discovered there was no lame theme. However, her punctuality was failing her, as she was also late for the Club. It was just wrapping up as she walked in to find the room full of guests, but for once, they all seemed to be gathered around Hikaru and Kaoru.

Their 'brotherly love' appeal had been taken up a notch or two. Kaoru was lying in Hikaru's lap, who was running one hand through Kaoru's hair, the other stroking his cheek and tracing lines around his mouth. The girls sat in silence, yet their glee couldn't be hidden in silence. They looked ready to explode.

Haruhi came in and threw her bag into the corner. She looked for Tamaki, who, as usual, was sat on the sofa entertaining a sole girl, giving her all of his attention.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, miss," Haruhi apologised, bowing slightly to the young lady. "But I really need to speak to Tamaki-senpai, so if I could borrow him from you for just a moment?"

The girl giggled and nodded. "Of course, it's no problem at all. I was just leaving anyway," She stood up, as did Tamaki.

"Until tomorrow, my princess. I will await your sweet return," Tamaki smiled, each word soaked with charm.

After seeing the girl out, Tamaki leapt on Haruhi, embracing her tightly.

"Haruhi! What's wrong with my daughter!"

Haruhi, her face squashed against his chest, struggled to push him away. "There's nothing wrong with me, Senpai!"

"But Hikaru and Kaoru said you were late this morning, and you're late again! It's terribly unusual for you to be late, especially twice in the same day!"

Haruhi was surprised at herself. Surprised that she could still be astonished by Tamaki's ability to overreact with any tiny detail. Who else would think there was something so wrong because of somebody's tardiness? She stole a glance over at the twins, and could have sworn she'd seen Hikaru looking her way, but he had returned to teasing Kaoru, and in turn, their guests.

Grabbing Haruhi's shoulders, Tamaki held her at arm's length, and looked her directly in the eye. Haruhi stiffened. What was wrong with him?

"What did you want to talk to me about?" He asked, serious for a change.

She relaxed. Once again, overreacting.

"I just wanted to apologise for being late. I know it can tarnish the Club's reputation."

"Indeed, it can." Kyoya interjected. "Make sure it doesn't happen again, or I may have to add your uniform costs onto your debt,"

He was sat at a desk, typing away on his sleek laptop. Made a change from his notebook at least. Haruhi rarely saw Kyoya entertaining guests; his role seemed more financial and managerial, despite Renge having appointed herself as the Club's manager.

Haruhi groaned. Maybe Cho wasn't going to be the only one having problems with the payment for her uniform.

"So, why were you late?" Kyoya furthered, but his eyes remained on the laptop's screen. "There were several customers who requested to sit with you today. They settled for the twins when they were informed you weren't here."

"I really am sorry, Kyoya-senpai. I told my dad I'd be home straight after school to help him; he's applying for a new job at the bar." Haruhi explained.

"And you didn't think to tell us that you were likely to be late, or miss the Host Club altogether?" Kyoya pressed, now looking up to see Haruhi's face.

She bit her lip. She hadn't seen any of the club members during the day, with the exception of Hikaru and Kaoru, and she, stubbornly, refused to talk to them, so she wasn't going to ask them to do her a favour.

Honey and Mori, having said goodbye to their guests, had now joined them by the sofa.

"Why didn't Haru-chan ask Hika-chan or Kao-chan to tell us?" Honey asked, plonking down on the sofa.

"Yeah," Mori's contributions to conversation rarely differed.

Haruhi pouted. "Because they clearly have issues with commoners like me!" She said loudly, emphasising the last three words and glaring over at the twins.

They both glanced over. Kaoru looked the guiltier of the two. Haruhi wasn't surprised. He seemed to be more aware of his own conscience. Hikaru just looked away again.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Tamaki shouted, and shot between them, before he dropped his voice. "What have I told you about embarrassing Haruhi? She can't help that she's just a commoner!"

Haruhi's eyes narrowed. Tamaki's version of lowering his voice was simply back down to an average volume, so even from across the room he was still audible.

After being ordered and thrown across the room by Tamaki, the twins stood with their heads down in shame. Kaoru apologised first, and Haruhi smiled. Hikaru looked at her first, almost as though he was battling with himself, deciding whether he should say sorry or not. But Haruhi spoke first.

"It doesn't matter whether you want to apologise to me or not, Hikaru." She said, before turning to Kaoru. "Thank you, though, Kaoru. But I'm not the one you should be apologising to."

They exchanged glances. Kaoru smiled at Hikaru, who mirrored him, and then turned to Haruhi. He muttered a quick apology, before they flitted out the room.

Once outside, making their way down the corridor, Hikaru looked at Kaoru, and received a look of encouragement. Kaoru knew that it was difficult for Hikaru, and whilst he'd thoroughly enjoyed his day after spending all day solely with his brother, it was only when he'd been attempting to keep face in front of Haruhi. For the rest of the time, it had been rather miserable, as Hikaru had moped the whole time. If seeing his brother happy meant sharing him a little, Kaoru was more than happy to oblige.

They reached Music Room #1, and, as hoped, they could hear the hum of violin strings. Despite their best intentions, the twins still weren't sure of the usual etiquette of knocking, and simply opened the door, walking into the naturally bright room.

Cho stopped playing instantly, blinking at the Hitachiins. She was wearing the male version of the Ouran Academy uniform – a pale blue blazer over a white shirt and tie, and plain black trousers. Initially stunned upon seeing her attire, the silence was short-lived, as they burst out laughing.

"What are you wearing the guys' uniform for?"

"Didn't they splash out enough for you to get the dress?"

Once again, Cho went a violent shade of red. Kaoru noticed and stopped laughing. Hikaru looked at his brother and gave him an awkward look, before following suit. This was not the reason they were here.

Hikaru inhaled, looked to Kaoru for some final support, and then spoke.

"Choyo, I really am sorry." He couldn't go any further than that, but he didn't need to.

"Thank you," was Cho's reply. It was clear she wanted to say more, but didn't know how to.

Kaoru smiled. He heard the wind whistle outside, causing the trees to dance and cast fluttering shadows in the room, and he couldn't help but notice how it seemed to mirror the situation. It was a big moment for both Hikaru and Cho. He decided to carry on, for Hikaru and Cho's sake, so they didn't have to endure an awkward silence out of uncertainty or shyness.

"We're the Hitachiin brothers. I'm Kaoru, and this is Hikaru."

Cho went white. She repeated her thank you, slammed her violin into the case in a great rush, and fled from the room, stopping and looking back momentarily to apologise. Then she ran, pulling the door closed behind her.

**---**

**So yeah, there we have it! Let me know what you think! Please try and bear in mind that I only have a very loose plot at the moment, so a lot is just improv to move the story along a little!**

**Thanks, see you all next week (hopefully!)**

**~KW**


	5. The Host Club's Mission

**Okay, so first off, I'm very sorry that it's taken me this long! I had things going on, and just generally I didn't really know where I was going, so the improvising got harder. I know I've missed my own deadline... and by quite a bit!**

**So, without further delay, here's chapter 5!**

**---**

Hikaru stepped forward to follow her, his brow creased in confusion, but Kaoru put his hand on his shoulder, a sign for him to stop. Kaoru knew that literally running from the room, she clearly didn't want company.

"Well that was nice of her." Hikaru said sarcastically.

Kaoru's mouth pulled into a line. It had been rude of Cho to run away like that, but with the percentage of time he'd seen her blushing, it was obvious she wasn't particularly comfortable in social situations.

"And what the hell was she wearing the guys' uniform for anyway?" Hikaru said.

This was followed immediately by a sigh from Kaoru. Hikaru was back to his blunt old self. The apologetic stage had passed. At least it had happened, if only for a few minutes.

"Unless she's the opposite of Haruhi? You know, we thought Haruhi was a guy but she was a girl? Maybe Cho is really a guy!" Hikaru said, entering into one of his rare serious tones.

Kaoru just looked at his brother. It was understandable that people thought Haruhi was a guy; as they had said before, she was 'as flat as a board', but the same could definitely not be said for Cho - she had curves. So why had she adopted the shirt and tie look? Surely she couldn't be that unfeminine and opposed to the idea of wearing a dress?

"Hikaru? Kaoru?"

Tamaki waltzed into the room, leading the rest of the Host Club in after him.

"I thought I heard your voice, Hikaru. What are you two doing in here?"

"We came to apologise to Choyo," Kaoru said, and went on to explain her reaction, as well as her unorthodox choice of uniform.

"What's wrong with that? Surely it's okay for a girl to wear trousers?" Haruhi asked.

"Don't skip past things, Haruhi. The important thing here is that the Hitachiins have achieved some personal growth – they apologised." Kyoya said, writing in his notebook, as his laptop had been put away and was now residing in a plain black bag, hung over his shoulder.

Okay, so it was something that the twins had admitted to themselves they were wrong, and another thing to have admitted it to everybody else, but what was wrong with a girl wearing trousers?

"See, Tama-chan, Cho-chan didn't just reject you," Honey started, striking a chord with the blonde prince, who promptly returned to his corner of woe. "She just isn't happy around people."

"Yeah," Mori reaffirmed.

Tamaki paused. He returned to the group, his eyes on the floor. However, this only signalled to the rest of the group that he was about to announce his new idea. Thrusting his arm into the air, he started.

"We're going to help Choyo become more comfortable around people!"

"Senpai, are you sure that's a good idea?" Haruhi asked.

Surely, if Cho felt so uncomfortable and awkward that she would literally flee, how were the Host Club going to make it any better? Haruhi felt a little better in knowing that she had managed to have some sort of conversation with Cho the day before, even if it had been cut short.

"Haruhi, perhaps you could become Choyo's friend?" Kyoya said, ramming his hand into Tamaki's face, to stop him complaining and rambling.

Haruhi blinked. Kyoya really did never miss a trick. But was his sudden interest in the matter really for Cho's benefit? Kyoya always seemed to have some sort of hidden agenda.

"Sure, I guess…" Haruhi answered, trying to figure out the look in his eyes. Considering he knew so much about everybody else, Kyoya was so difficult to fathom.

"Then that settles it!" Tamaki proclaimed, pulling away from Kyoya's hand. "Honey-senpai! Make sure we have the best cake available tomorrow! We're going to make sure that everything is perfect and make Choyo feel as comfortable as possible."

"I'm only trying to make friends with her, senpai; I'm not going on a date with her." Haruhi objected, before Tamaki could go on handing out more jobs for the other Hosts. "We don't need amazing cake or anything like that."

But Tamaki had zoned out. His mind was working overtime, his imaginary theatre taking over. He forgot to take into account that Cho was painfully shy, so it was unlikely that they would become fast friends, let alone anything more.

Haruhi ignored him, bid them all goodnight, and left. She'd tried her best to help her dad, but he had been panicking and in a bit of a state by the time she'd left, so getting back to him was her priority right now.

---

The next day was a cloudy one. Haruhi sighed. She hated it when the weather was like this. It made everyone miserable and easily agitated, as well as making her nervous. It was not uncommon for a storm to brew from conditions like this.

Walking to school, Haruhi stared at her feet. She couldn't help but think of the others, warm and comfy being driven about in their posh cars, unaware of how easy they had it. She'd like to see how they'd cope one day without having anybody do anything for them.

She shivered as the wind blew fiercely, blustering her hair around her face and in her eyes, instinctively closing them and putting her hand over them, shielding her eyes and her view. She heard the beep of a car horn, and glancing to the side, she frowned slightly. She saw Hikaru leaning out of the open door of the Rolls-Royce that had pulled up by the side of the road, with Kaoru's head visible over Hikaru's shoulder. Just as she'd expected.

Haruhi paused. Did she really want to put herself through the twins torment before they'd even reached Ouran? The wind blew again, resounding in her ears. She wasn't stupid or too proud to accept a ride into school, not in this kind of weather.

Rushing over, the twins shuffled over so that Haruhi could sit down. Clipping her seatbelt into place, the door closed, and the car continued on its journey to school.

"So, Haruhi, did you not consider doing something with your hair this morning?" Hikaru asked, ruffling her hair to accentuate his point.

"Yeah, even just a quick brush through can do wonders you know." Kaoru added, grinning.

Haruhi jerked her head away, and refused to acknowledge them. She knew there was a reason she had hesitated before getting in. This was it. Staring out the window, she watched the rest of the world struggling with the gale force winds. She glanced upwards, looking at the still miserable grey sky. Surely with this much wind, it should be shifting.

The car drove along, attracting fleeting looks from almost everybody, and Haruhi was so glad that the windows were tinted. How could anybody stand being watched every moment of the day?

But then she noticed that the people outside suddenly had their attention drawn elsewhere. Following their gaze, Haruhi gasped.

"Stop the car!" She shouted.

**---**

**So yeah, there's the very delayed next chapter! Because I was so slow, I've decided to update two at once for you! Little bit of devotion required, I felt!**

**Review if there's anything in particular you wanted to say about this chapter (be kind – I know it was a bit pointless!), or you can just carry on to the next one! Onwards, readers!**

**~KW**


	6. Being There

**No more delays! Proceed!**

**---**

The car jerked to a halt, and Haruhi yanked her seatbelt off, before taking off out of the car and over to where the crowd was now gathering on the corner, ignoring the beckons from the Hitachiins, who promptly followed, nearly falling out of the car in their haste.

Weaving her way through the people, Haruhi knelt down and disappeared from the twins' view. Following Haruhi's lead, but much more discourteously, they barged their way through the throng. Reaching the centre, and the reason for the crowding, they both mimicked Haruhi's earlier gasp.

Cho was lying on the floor, white as paper, jolting and jerking, her eyes rolled to the back of her head. A woman had taken off her jacket and placed it under her head to protect her from crashing onto the cold concrete.

The twins froze, but Haruhi was quick into action.

"Call an ambulance!" She said to them, trying to get them out of their own stupor.

"I already have," said the woman calmly.

A young girl, no older than five or six, was stood beside her, clinging to her mother's shirt. Clearly she was a mother. She was so calm about everything, and quite obviously had taken control of the situation. Unlike the twins.

"Do you know this girl?" The woman asked Haruhi.

"Yeah, she just started school with us." Haruhi replied. "What happened to her?"

"I don't know. We were walking behind her, and she just collapsed, and then started fitting." The woman explained, before looking over her shoulder, reacting to the sound of the sirens.

The ambulance pulled up, and two medics climbed out and made their way through the crowd with a stretcher and a pillow. One medic knelt down to deal with Cho, replacing the woman's jacket with the pillow, whereas the other started to disperse the crowd, so they had some space.

"I'm so sorry, but I need to get my daughter to school, would you be alright to take over from here?" said the woman, retrieving her coat from the medic.

"Of course, thank you so much for your help," Haruhi said, bowing her head slightly to the woman, who smiled before getting to her feet.

"I do hope your friend is alright," she said, taking her daughter's hand, and then walking off.

The twins were still stood, ignoring the directions from the medic who had ushered the gathering of people away. He was trying to get them to move along as well, but they were too stunned to be able to take in what he was saying, just watching as Cho slowly started to relax.

"Hey, they know her too!" Haruhi said, as she realised who the medic had been talking to.

The medic looked at Haruhi, then back to the twins, before assisting his colleague run quick checks on Cho. Once the seizure had stopped, they got her onto the stretcher, before wheeling her off into the ambulance.

"Hikaru! Kaoru! Will you guys snap out of it!" Haruhi shouted at them.

Still slightly stunned, they made their way over to the ambulance.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid there's only space for one of you to ride in the ambulance," the medic informed them.

"I'll go with Cho," Haruhi said, shaking her head, realising that the twins were not going to be of any help whatsoever. "You two carry on to school and explain what happened." She added, climbing into the back of the ambulance, before the door slammed shut, and it drove off.

Hikaru broke the silence.

"At least they didn't put the sirens back on. That's a good sign, right?" He asked his younger brother.

"I guess so," replied Kaoru quietly. "Come on, we'd better get to school and explain this to Sensei."

Walking back to the car, where their chauffeur was waiting for them, holding the door open, the twins moved closer so that they were touching. They hadn't ever seen anything like that, and they were both a little scared; it was their natural reaction when it was something different. Just knowing that they had each other was of some comfort.

When the car set off again, back en route to Ouran, Kaoru shuffled closer to Hikaru, resting his head on his shoulder, and Hikaru slid his hand into Hikaru's, so they could reassure each other silently.

Their relationship had always been… complicated. They were much closer than any other siblings, or any other twins. Of course, they used it to put on a show for their clients, but it wasn't completely an act. They'd poured all their love into each other, because they were all they had.

Kaoru looked at his brother's hand in his own. He wished it could be like this all the time. He was happy with how things were. But since Haruhi had come into the picture… It had changed, despite how much he tried to deny it. He squeezed gently, and he felt Hikaru's head lay lightly on his own.

They arrived at school, late, in silence.

---

The day dragged. Haruhi didn't return to school for the remainder of the day. Not even for the Host Club. Kyoya scribbled in his book, and muttered something about punctuality and habit.

Hikaru turned swiftly.

"Haruhi's in the hospital, if you must know." He said, his matter-of-fact tone ending up slightly more venomous than he would've liked.

Tamaki, who was busy greeting the guests at the door, froze.

Kaoru realised what Hikaru had said, but before he could interject, Tamaki had grabbed his brother and had him pinned against the wall by the cuff of his shirt.

Everybody in the room stopped in shock as Tamaki shouted at Hikaru, the questions pouring out one after the other before Hikaru even had chance to string together a sentence in his mind. Everyone, except Kaoru.

Immediately at Tamaki's side, he threw a strong punch at the side of his head. Tamaki stumbled to the floor, releasing Hikaru from his grasp. Kaoru put his arms around his brother. It had been an instant reaction. It was usually Hikaru who was the reckless one, the one who was always concerned for his brother. Apparently, they both had those traits, but it had just taken more for that side of Kaoru to surface.

The next moment, Honey and Mori created a barrier between the twins, who had now turned to face Tamaki, who was still lay on the floor, reeling from the surprise attack.

"It's fine, guys," Hikaru said quietly.

"Boss, Haruhi's fine, she just went with Cho after an incident this morning." Kaoru explained.

Kyoya cleared his throat, before turning to the stunned guests who were still stood in the doorway.

"I'm afraid the Host Club will have to be cancelled for today, ladies. My sincerest apologies, but if you return tomorrow, we will be holding a very special Host Club," Kyoya said, holding his arms out as he walked towards the door, to usher them out.

There were many noises of disappointment and dismay as Kyoya shut the door.

"Now, do you care to explain what has happened exactly?"

**---**

**So there you have it! I forced myself to finish this one so you could all get two for the price of one! What did you think?**

**As always, reviews are greatly appreciated! Hopefully the next chapter won't take too long!**

**~KW**


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